Mark VII power tube colours
- Thread starter Voyager72
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The first Mark VII came with green. Those got swamped out at gig level and lost all detail. Sounded more blah but at lower volume settings the amp was ok, even with the different power modes. I ordered some STR445 not thinking about requesting any color codes and ended up with two complete quads of yellows. Those work very well at any volume.
Second Mark VII was shipped with yellow coded STR445.
Second Mark VII was shipped with yellow coded STR445.
Thanks @bandit2013
Interesting the green and yellow being one gradation apart behave different.
Interesting the green and yellow being one gradation apart behave different.
I can tell the difference between colors of the same tube type. I am surprised that some cannot.
Sure the green coded STR445 sounded good at a close bedroom level. Just that slight turn on the channel master did not take much to get to gig levels. 9am setting is near gig level. 9:30am to 10am is nuts. Just what I noticed with the first Mark VII that came equipped with the greens, I found it less desirable and muddy at gig level. It does not take much to make a difference. Those greens I have may be closer to grey. They sounded great in the Badlander and not so bad in the JP2C. Just thought they seemed too much for the Mark VII. I could revisit those again as I have two Mark VII. I can do a side by side comparison as this has sparked my curiosity to find out how different they are. When I was exploring the tube colors, it was before I got the second Mark VII. At that time I was comparing the Mark VII to the JP2C when I noticed the greens in the Mark VII did not sound as satisfying. Note: I strive for the most aggressive grind characteristics. I was not getting that with the greens, as it was more muddy and less detailed. The yellows made a difference that sounded on par with the JP2C (this amp requires greens or grey, running the yellow or red it goes lame).
Sure the green coded STR445 sounded good at a close bedroom level. Just that slight turn on the channel master did not take much to get to gig levels. 9am setting is near gig level. 9:30am to 10am is nuts. Just what I noticed with the first Mark VII that came equipped with the greens, I found it less desirable and muddy at gig level. It does not take much to make a difference. Those greens I have may be closer to grey. They sounded great in the Badlander and not so bad in the JP2C. Just thought they seemed too much for the Mark VII. I could revisit those again as I have two Mark VII. I can do a side by side comparison as this has sparked my curiosity to find out how different they are. When I was exploring the tube colors, it was before I got the second Mark VII. At that time I was comparing the Mark VII to the JP2C when I noticed the greens in the Mark VII did not sound as satisfying. Note: I strive for the most aggressive grind characteristics. I was not getting that with the greens, as it was more muddy and less detailed. The yellows made a difference that sounded on par with the JP2C (this amp requires greens or grey, running the yellow or red it goes lame).
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We’re a funny bunch
At least we are not talking about the impact of power cables on the sound
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2024
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- 128
- Reaction score
- 57
I’m guilty of all this stuffAt least we are not talking about the impact of power cables on the sound
Speaking of power cables.
Has anyone found a short power cord extension that can be plugged in to the head.
I bought this
https://a.co/d/i81fqEi
But it’s 18 gauge and I was reluctant to use it.
I did not notice much of a difference on the clean or fat with the yellow vs green, it was more so with the VII, IIC+ and IV mode at 90W.
If the amp sounds good with what it came with, stick with it. It could just be the batch of the STR445 tubes as they have been hard to come by for a while. Sweetwater removed that part from their pick list. I got them through AMS but took over 6 months to get them.
If the amp sounds good with what it came with, stick with it. It could just be the batch of the STR445 tubes as they have been hard to come by for a while. Sweetwater removed that part from their pick list. I got them through AMS but took over 6 months to get them.
I told you my colors, what are yours?
All I have are one set of greens, and three sets of yellows. Almost as if there was a stripe on the chassis or transformer to identify what mod it has. Mine has the JP2C signature badge on it. It was a special-order thing. It was the JPV7 reissue, oops I let the cat out of the bag too soon. This was supposed to wait until April. Not, I just swapped the faceplate to match the one cabinet.
I like that they made the access window much larger than the JP2C. Much easier to get to the preamp tubes.
My current VII came with Green.
Man I really love those grill cover colours! How much does Mesa charge for these?
Yes that front access was a very welcome addition. On Mark V it doesn't exist at all.
I am willing to bet the IIC+ Reissue has this hidden opening as well, considering they are using the same head shell and chassis.
As for the faceplate upcharge on a finished amp, it appears to be $104. Doing a custom order just for the faceplate in 2018, that was $250. I did not care, I wanted it anyways. I believe there was markup on the matching V212 cab as well. The upcharge on the cream/black V212 is $100. Going through custom orders will cost much more, expect an increase of $100 or more.
As for the faceplate upcharge on a finished amp, it appears to be $104. Doing a custom order just for the faceplate in 2018, that was $250. I did not care, I wanted it anyways. I believe there was markup on the matching V212 cab as well. The upcharge on the cream/black V212 is $100. Going through custom orders will cost much more, expect an increase of $100 or more.
The change from green to yellow improves the sound quality and detail you hear when pushing the grinder as hard as you can. Keep in mind I was using the JP2C as a benchmark as that amp retains detail no mater how swamped you make the tone stack and lead drive circuit. Also I was mostly using 90W power mode most of the time before I got the second Mark VII. What is cool about the Simul-class is you can run tubes of different color codes in pairs. Since the Class A will effectively run a hotter bias than the Class AB pair, you can mix and match to your hearts content. Heck, you can run a different pair of tubes as long as you stay within the 6L6 family (and Mesa branded if you want to keep your warranty intact.) I sort of like the STR445 tubes in this amp. Since I have two VII, I did compare one with the STR447 (EL34, and bias to such) to the other with the STR445. To my surprise both amps sounded the same. That surprised me. Most of the STR447 run in green, grey and blue. I did state once that I never saw those in reds. Well, I found a full set I had in storage. I took them out of a used RA100 head I bought a while back. Totally forgot about them. They are basically spent but they do exist. Sorry if I am geeking out about tube discussion and the like.
